The really egregious part of this whole thing is how some provinces are treating it.

For instance, Quebec and Manitoba want to ban home growing, even though the federal government says you can have four plants at home. (Unclear who's got jurisdiction here--it may be that there will be no criminal penalties for growing up to four at home, but provinces may be able to enact further restrictions through their s. 92 powers.)

And Ontario and Quebec both (last I checked) decided that the model various US states used, of having private businesses sell pot while the government collects tax revenues (like Colorado, where they ended up with more tax money than they knew what to do with), wasn't for them and gave themselves nice government monopolies instead.

I can only imagine what might happen if prostitution is ever fully legalized (y'know, like it should be anyway). Will some provinces decide that we have to go to government brothels?

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Quote from: Jordan Duram

It doesn't concern you, Sister, that kind of absolutist view of the universe? Right and wrong determined solely by a single all-knowing, all powerful being whose judgment cannot be questioned and in whose name the most horrendous acts can be sanctioned without appeal?

Quote from: Supreme Court of Canada

Being required by someone else’s religious beliefs to behave contrary to one’s sexual identity is degrading and disrespectful.

I'm not opposed to government owned monopolies. Finnish gambling and (most of) alcohol sales being a government monopoly seems to work decently.

There's certain matters where government monopolies are preferable, or at least very strict government regulation.

Not sure if alcohol is an appropriate monopoly (though I'd at least want that sold in standalone stores, private or not, not mixed in with everything else as in many if not all US states), and the same goes for marijuana. Gambling at least calls for extremely strict regulation to ensure that bettors aren't getting screwed, though, again, not sure if a government monopoly is best.

Same would go for prostitution--strict regulation (to make sure the workers don't have STIs and such), but not a government monopoly.

Logged

Quote from: Jordan Duram

It doesn't concern you, Sister, that kind of absolutist view of the universe? Right and wrong determined solely by a single all-knowing, all powerful being whose judgment cannot be questioned and in whose name the most horrendous acts can be sanctioned without appeal?

Quote from: Supreme Court of Canada

Being required by someone else’s religious beliefs to behave contrary to one’s sexual identity is degrading and disrespectful.

Hell, if memory serves, Virginia has a more-or-less state monopoly on liquor stores. The only thing I have to complain about, there is that they're a little smaller than I'd like and don't rotate their samplers often, if at all. Minor quibbles, really, and the stores are almost always well-kept or at least clean.